1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to smoke detectors.
2. Description of the Art
Smoke detectors are typically mounted in various rooms of a home, such as bedrooms, hallways and at one or both ends of stairs to provide an early indication of the presence of smoke generated during the initial stages of a fire to enable the occupants to safely escape from the home.
It is also known to construct smoke alarm warning systems which include a light source to provide emergency illumination. Such devices are typically employed in hallways and similar exit areas of a building and come into play when the main power supply of the building fails during a fire. The high intensity flashing strobe light is capable of being seen despite intense smoke which may fill a hallway or room. Nevertheless, such smoke detector/light warning systems do provide an indication of an exit to enable an occupant to escape from a burning building or home.
It is also known to provide a smoke detector/warning light system which includes a standard smoke detector mountable in a normal location on the ceiling of a room and a remote, separate light indicator unit which includes a light and a microphone for receiving the audible alarm signals generated by the smoke detector sound generator. The flashing light housing is designed to be mounted on a window for visibility exteriorly of the building to identify the room where smoke has been detected so that rescuers will know where to go to put out the fire and/or rescue occupants of a burning building or home. This device utilizes a radio frequency transmitter in the smoke detector and a receiver in the light housing. The radio frequency signals can activate light devices which may be remote from the smoke detector and not positioned to detect the audible sounds generated by the smoke detector.
While such smoke detector/warning light devices effectively provide an illuminatable light adjacent an exit to mark the location of an exit to enable an occupant of a burning building to safely escape from the building, such devices provide no indication as to whether or not the escape path through the exit, such as a door, or archway into an adjoining hall, stairway, or other rooms of the building, is actually safe for use as an escape path. Frequently, a fire can be burning on the other side of a wall and not yet penetrate a room when the door to the hallway is closed. Smoke passing through openings along the edges of the door or otherwise may still penetrate into the closed room in sufficient amounts to activate the smoke detector. An occupant attempting to escape through the door may actually encounter the fire itself and, when opening the door, allow dense smoke to enter the room and/or create a potential "backdraft" situation where fire in the adjoining room or hallway literally explodes into the room.
It would be desirable to provide a smoke detector with warning light apparatus which is capable of providing a safe or not safe indication of an escape exit during a fire.